🔋 AA / AAA batteries

Standard alkaline AA and AAA batteries have no quantity limits and are permitted freely in both carry-on and checked baggage — screeners will not stop you regardless of how many you bring. Lithium disposable AA/AAA batteries are also permitted, but TSA limits spare lithium batteries to two in carry-on. Alkaline batteries are the most common type and carry no such restriction.

Yes, and it matters. Alkaline AA and AAA batteries — the standard type found in most grocery stores — have no restrictions anywhere in carry-on or checked baggage. Lithium disposable AA/AAA batteries, which are less common but used in high-drain devices, are restricted to a maximum of two spare batteries in carry-on under TSA rules. Both types are permitted in checked baggage, though the lithium limit still applies as a spare carry-on maximum.

X-ray images do not always make it easy to identify battery chemistry, so a screener may ask to inspect your batteries if they are unsure. Keeping batteries in their original packaging, which clearly labels them as alkaline or lithium, helps resolve any question quickly. Loose batteries mixed together in a bag are harder to identify and more likely to prompt a manual check.

Store batteries in their original retail packaging or a dedicated battery case to prevent accidental discharge from contact between terminals. Alkaline batteries can go in either carry-on or checked baggage without any restriction. If you are bringing lithium AA batteries as spares, keep them in your carry-on where the two-battery limit for spares applies, and make sure the terminals cannot short-circuit against metal objects.